How About A New Picture Post?

[Joe Forks]

I'm not sure if I should send this one out for a drum scan or not. Opinions?

Cattail Falls, Big Bend National Park: (of course the falls weren't falling when I was there!)
Old Metal Wista, 110 SS XL, Kodak E100G, F22 @ 1/2s, Epson 2450 scan (only occasionally I'm happy with a scan from my epson)

[william linne]

Here's a shot made with a Cooke 165mm f2.5 lens wide open on a 4x5 Series D Graflex. It's a crappy scan. In the print the tip of the pipe is very sharp.

[Kirk Keyes]

Thanks Kirk for your kind comments~ BTW, while I was taking this series of shots, the quickload envelopes flapped like mad due to the wind. I just browsed your wonderful web site and really like your "approaching storm" shot. As you mentioned in your story, how did you manage the flapping quickload envelops in the wind? any tricks to share?

Timothy

Thank you for your kind comments, Timothy!

I'm not sure I really have anything useful to share for windy readyload use. For that photo http://www.keyesphoto.com/Grandview2.html - I think as I was pressing on the top of the Technika with my arm - I think I had my elbow over the body fo the camera and that let my hand hold the end ot the readyload envelope. THe exposures were only in the 1 second range, so it was not too hard to try and be steady. You don't say how long your exposures were for, but I don't think I would have too much luck with anything much longer than a couple of seconds...

I've been thinking of making a little envelope "holder" for windy conditions. Something like those plexiglass ground glass protectors that you insert into the camera where the film holder sits and they come back over the back of the ground glass to protect it. It seems like something light and stiff that fit into the back of the camera - but between the quick/readyload holder and then extended out to where the end of the extended sleeve sits, and then it curves back around to engage the extended sleeve would work. (I hope that makes sense...) It would not have to completely enclose the envelope, just shield it somewhat and probably more importantly restrict its movement. Actually, you need a cut out or missing edge of the shield so that you can move the envelope sleeve in and out between shots.

I see you're in Hong Kong - do you know those guys that are making all those great large format parts and selling them on ebay? Maybe this is some thing they could work on. Just have them send me a prototype in exchange for the concept!

Kirk

[walter23]

My only means of "scanning" right now is by digital SLR copy-work on a makeshift light table (glass suspended above an LCD monitor). As such, there are sharpness, tonal range, and colour problems.







All with Shen Hao 4x5, velvia 100 or delta 100, caltar-II N 90/6.8 or 210/5.6.

Be as critical as you want - I'm pretty new to LF photography; the colour ones are from my first 10 box of velvia, and I still have < 100 shots on my shen hao.

[Frank Petronio]

i like the tricycle and the crack pipe. In fact I'm morbidly fascintated by the crack pipe shot.

Where you finding your crackheads William? No worries or do you have some stories to go with the photos?

[walter23]

I also like the crackhead one.

And on the subject of crackheads - here's a shot I took last year of the plague in my city. It's a digital SLR shot at 12mm, I think it was, but the lighting really manifested itself to make this shot work out. This isn't photoshop - the city was really that gloomy looking. Serendipity is the photographer's best friend.

[william linne]

Umm, yeah, there are lots of stories to go along with those photos. I used to be heavily involved in that milieu. Maybe not in the way you think. That print is much more beautiful than the scan. He's an old drug buddy of mine that just couldn't put the pipe down. Here's another one I took that same day, on the way down.

W.

[Timothy So]

Thank you for your kind comments, Timothy!

I'm not sure I really have anything useful to share for windy readyload use. For that photo http://www.keyesphoto.com/Grandview2.html - I think as I was pressing on the top of the Technika with my arm - I think I had my elbow over the body fo the camera and that let my hand hold the end ot the readyload envelope. THe exposures were only in the 1 second range, so it was not too hard to try and be steady. You don't say how long your exposures were for, but I don't think I would have too much luck with anything much longer than a couple of seconds...

I've been thinking of making a little envelope "holder" for windy conditions. Something like those plexiglass ground glass protectors that you insert into the camera where the film holder sits and they come back over the back of the ground glass to protect it. It seems like something light and stiff that fit into the back of the camera - but between the quick/readyload holder and then extended out to where the end of the extended sleeve sits, and then it curves back around to engage the extended sleeve would work. (I hope that makes sense...) It would not have to completely enclose the envelope, just shield it somewhat and probably more importantly restrict its movement. Actually, you need a cut out or missing edge of the shield so that you can move the envelope sleeve in and out between shots.

I see you're in Hong Kong - do you know those guys that are making all those great large format parts and selling them on ebay? Maybe this is some thing they could work on. Just have them send me a prototype in exchange for the concept!

Kirk

Hi Kirk,

For my picture the exposure was 30 seconds, and I was trying to hold the quickload envelop with two hands while tripping the shutter in T-mode... I wish I had an assistant who can hold an umbrella/shield for me at the time!
The idea of a protector is interesting but I suppose it need to be really tight fit so it doesn't wobble itself...I don't know of any HK guy who make LF gadgets, may be I need to go on ebay and have a look.

Timothy

[adrian tyler]

sorry, couldn't resist! the lf photo is on the wall at the back...

[Mark Sawyer]

As an aside, I'm noticing quite a few more images lately in which a very shallow depth of field plays quite a part in the aesthetics of the image.

Maybe just my perception...